By Wonderwall.com Editors
7:19am PDT, Apr 21, 2022
Roseanne Barr slams her ABC firing as 'intellectual witch-burning'
It's been a few years since the world heard from Roseanne Barr outside of her Youtube Channel. From Roseanne's perspective, that's because she was "kicked out of Hollywood," which also happens to the be the name of a new Reelz documentary on the star. The film details Roseanne's recollection of how her career was canceled, as was her recently rebooted show, because of her tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser to former President Barack Obama. "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj," the 2018 post read. In the doc, Roseanne maintains she didn't know Valerie was Black and says her "Planet of the Apes" reference was about unrest in the Middle East. She also reiterates her previous claim that the sleeping medication, Ambien, was to blame for her offensive missive. "I shoulda not did it, but by God, I was really p***** that day," says Roseanne, 69, according to Yahoo. "I did something I wouldn't do if I hadn't been on that Ambien. It makes you do a lot of crazy s***." The film features "sympathetic" interviews with Roseanne's boyfriend and pals including Howie Mandel, according to the Daily News. "I was called a racist … It was politically expedient for them to s*** on my name," she says of being fired by ABC. "Witch-burning is what it is," Roseanne continues. "Intellectual witch-burning, and arrogance and ignorance. All of the press of the United States and the world, how they interpreted my tweet without any knowledge of the fact that I was sending it to a journalist in Iran about what was happening to the people in Iran. We're under such terrible censorship. It's just terrible and frightening." Later in the doc, Roseanne recalls that even her children "were trying to lock" her out of her Twitter. "But I wouldn't! Because it's like, I just couldn't. I'm a g****** American, I'm not going to do it. I'm a comic, I'm a bad girl, I'm too rock 'n' roll," Roseanne snaps, vowing to drop F bombs "til I take my last breath." "Roseanne: Kicked Out of Hollywood" airs on Reelz on April 24.
Keep reading to see how Joe Alwyn addressed those Taylor Swift engagement rumors …
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Joe Alwyn addresses Taylor Swift engagement rumors
Taylor Swift's boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn, remains determined to keep the couple's personal life, personal, amid a new crop of engagement rumors. In a new interview with WSJ Magazine, the British "Conversations With Friends" star, 31, plays a bit coy on whether he and Taylor, 32, plan to marry. "If I had a pound for every time I think I've been told I've been engaged, then I'd have a lot of pound coins," he jokes. So, um, are they engaged? "I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn't say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn't say," he explains. "We live in a culture that people expect so much to be given. … So that if you're not posting all the time about what you're doing, how you're spending a day or how you made a breakfast, does that make you a recluse?" As he intimated in a recent Elle interview, Joe doesn't even want to be so compelled to keep everything to himself. He simply doesn't see another way. "I'd also like to feel slightly less guarded sometimes in interviews or in whatever kind of interactions, but it's just a knee-jerk response to the culture we live in," he tells WSJ. "If you give it to them, it just opens the door." "Conversations With Friends" hits Hulu on May 15.
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How Rihanna is handling A$AP Rocky's arrest ahead of baby's due date
In the wake of A$AP Rocky's arrest in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 20, Rihanna, who's expecting their first child together, is reportedly trying to stay focused on her pregnancy. "This drama is the last thing Rihanna needs right now," a source told Entertainment Tonight after the unexpected arrest. "She wants to be mellow, relaxed, and focused 100 percent on the arrival of her baby — not stressing out." Rocky was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as he and the singer flew in from a trip to Barbados, where they'd been visiting with Rihanna's family. According to ET, police confirmed the arrest stems from an alleged shooting in November 2021. The victim reportedly claims Rocky shot at him on the street with a hand gun and a bullet grazed his hand. "This arrest was not something they saw coming," ET's source says of the couple. The insider adds that Rihanna had "made a point to navigate the public side of her pregnancy on her own terms," but the arrest has changed the situation. "Now suddenly things seem out of her control," the source claims. The Fenty Beauty creator recently confirmed she's in her third trimester.
RELATED: Take a look back at Rihanna's maternity style
Jada Pinkett Smith says family is 'healing' on 'Red Table Talk' season premiere
Before Jada Pinkett Smith welcomed the first guests of her new season of "Red Table Talk" on Wednesday, April 20, she took a moment to address the controversy around Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. "Considering all that has happened in the last few weeks, the Smith family has been focusing on deep healing," Jada said, referencing her husband and his slap's fallout (via NBC News). "Some of those discoveries around our healing will be shared at the table when the time calls. Until then … the table will continue offering itself to powerful, inspiring and healing testimonies like that of our incredibly impressive first guests," she added. Among them was Janelle Monae, who recently published, "The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer." The musician and actress was joined by her mom to talk about how her dad's drug addiction left her with abandonment issues and why she came out as LGBTQIA+ when she did. Will, meanwhile, was banned from the Oscars for 10 years for the onstage slap.
Aaron Paul reveals Bryan Cranston will be newborn son's godfather
Aaron Paul's former "Breaking Bad" co-star and longtime friend Bryan Cranston is joining his family — sort of. While showing off photos of his newborn son on "The Tonight Show" this week, Aaron revealed Bryan will be the little guy's godfather. "Yes, a new baby boy. Yeah, his name is Rydin, and I love him," the proud dad told host Jimmy Fallon, according to the Daily Mail. "I'm exhausted," he added. It sounds like Aaron and his wife, Lauren Parsekian, might have a little helper in the house when it comes to baby duty, though. According to Aaron, the couple's 4-year-old daughter, Story, is "madly in love" with her new baby brother. "I mean, it's her doll, you know," he joked. Asked if Bryan had met Rydin yet, Aaron told Jimmy, "He has. He has met the baby. You know, I asked Bryan on his birthday if he would be our baby's godfather." After quipping that Bryan "said no" to the offer, Aaron said his pal is "excited" about the role. "Very honored. I love the man to death, you know," Aaron gushed. He and Bryan worked together on "Breaking Bad" from 2008 until 2013. They're slated return as Jesse and Walter on the final season of "Better Call Saul."
Prince Harry says he wants the queen to 'be protected,' deflects question about dad, brother
When Prince Harry sat down with Hoda Kotb on "Today" to discuss the 2022 Invictus Games this week, he also shared details from a recent visit he and his wife, Meghan Markle, enjoyed with Queen Elizabeth on their way to The Hague for the games. "I'm just making sure she's protected and got the right people around her," Harry said of his grandmother, whose health has been precarious ahead of her 96th birthday on April 21. He added that he and Elizabeth have "a really special relationship" and she has a "great sense of humor," but said he may not return to England for her jubilee because of "security issues" related to his wife and their kids, Archie and Lili. Asked if his relocation to California and decision to step down as a senior royal has left him missing his father, Prince Charles, and brother, Prince William, Harry punted the question and focused on talking about the Invictus Games. "At the moment, I'm here focused on these guys and these families and giving everything I can — 120 percent to them — to make sure that they have the experience of a lifetime," he said of the paralympics-style event. "And when I leave here, I go back, and my focus is my family, who I miss massively," he added. He's previously confirmed a rift developed between him, his father and his brother, after he and Meghan sat down for their tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview.
'Rust' production company fined almost $137k after fatal Halyna Hutchins shooting
The production company behind "Rust," the movie Alec Baldwin was filming when he accidentally shot cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, and director, Joel Souza, has been fined nearly $137,000 by the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau, Deadline reported on Wednesday, April 20. Citing Rust Movie Productions LLC's "willful and serious" violation of safety procedures, the organization opted to go with the maximum monetary penalty after spending six months investigating the events that led to Halyna's death and Joel's injuries on oct. 21, 2021. In a report issued along with the fine, OSHA detailed a repeated lack of proper safety oversight from management that resulted in multiple, preventable accidents involving firearms. While there have been no criminal charges brought against anyone yet, Alec is facing a wrongful death suit from Halyna's family for the shooting. He has said he was told the gun contained no live ammunition and that he didn't pull the trigger, it just discharged in his hands. The summary report shows live rounds should not have been on the set to begin with, but the sole Armorer reportedly had limited time to conduct all necessary safety procedures and was told by superiors to focus on working with the props department despite concerns she raised about safety. In a statement to press, Rust Productions said, "While we appreciate OSHA's time and effort in its investigation, we disagree with its findings and plan to appeal. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Halyna's family."
Rachel Zegler says being asked about Ansel Elgort sexual assault allegations was 'a gut punch'
While promoting 2021's "West Side Story," Rachel Zegler was asked repeatedly about sexual assault allegations made in 2020 against her co-star Ansel Elgort –even though the alleged incident took place in 2014, years before Rachel even met Ansel. "It was a real gut punch, honestly," Rachel, 20, says in a new cover story for Elle. "I reverted back to this brain space I was in [back in] June of 2020, when the accusation surfaced. We were in the middle of the first wave of lockdown, and there was nothing to do but doomscroll." Ansel, 28, was accused in June 2020 of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in 2014. He said in a since deleted social media post the encounter was "entirely consensual" and that he would "never assault anyone," though he added he was ashamed of his behavior with the woman. Asked about a junket where Rachel and her female co-stars were all asked about the allegations, the actress and singer explained how moments like that affected her own mental health. "Those days were some of the worst mental health days I've ever had. I was sitting there having just turned 19, on the precipice of what was promised to be the biggest moment in my life, and was being held accountable [by the public] for accusations that not only had nothing to do with me but were made about a situation that was said to have occurred [five] years prior to when I had met and worked with this person," she said. "With no thought to the fact that I was also 17 when I met this person, 17 when I worked with them, 17 and 18 when I had to do love scenes." Feeling like she had "to answer for an adult male who can speak for himself," she added, made her uncomfortable and hurt. Still, she added that she can't "pretend to know" what Ansel's accuser "had to go through," given Rachel's experience. "I could never know," Rachel said. "I really don't have anything to do with this conversation, and I'm looking forward to moving past it."
